Improvement in seeding-machines



5 SheetsSheet' 1. S. M. FIREY. SEEDING MACHINE.

No. 109,503. I Patented Nov. 22, 1870.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2. S. M. PIREY. SEEDING MACHINE.

No.109,503.' Patented Nov.22,1870.

5 SheetsSheet 3.

S; M. FIREY. SEEDING MACHINE.

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIREY. SEEDING MACHINE.

No. 109,503. Patented Nov. 22, 1870.

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5 Sheets-Sheets. S. M. PIREY.

SEEDING MAGHINE. No. 109,503; Patented Nova 22, 1870.

timid) I ititfi SAMUEL M. FIREY, OF "CLEAR SPRING MARYLAND.

Letters PatentNo.109,503,dated November 22, i870.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEEDlNG-MAC HlNESL The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. FIREY, of Clear Spring, in the county of Washington and State-of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seeding-Machines; and I do hereby decl re that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being bad to the accompauying drawing of the same, which makes part of this specification, and in whioh,

Figure 1 represents a vertical section, taken through the line of draft of amaohine embracing my improve- -ll'l8lltS;

Figure 2 represents. a side elevation of the gearing side of the machine, showing the drill-tubes down, and the seeding and fertilizing mechanism in gear with the driving-wheel;

Figure 3 represents a similar view, showing the drill-tubes elevated, and the seeding and fertilizing mechanism out of gear;

Figure 4 represents a side elevation of the yielding fertilizing conductor and semi-feeder;

Figure 5, a top view;

Figure 6, a vertical section at the line a: a; of fig. 5;

Figure 7, a vertical section of the cup, seed-feeder, and graduating winged slide at the line X X of fig. 6; and

Figure 8, a view of the rear side of the yielding fertilizing conductor, these severalfignres'bcing on an enlarged scale. v

Figure 9 represents one of the drag-bars and 'its drill-tooth, showing the latter when turned back to pass an obstruction. r

Figure 10 represents atop view of these parts when the drill-tube is notturned back.

'Figure 11 represents the axle-tree, with its short bent axles-and bracing-board.

Figure 12 represents a portion of the timothystirrer, showing also the attachmentof the surveyor to the seeding-shaft.

In the accompanying.drawing the frame A, tongue B, and supporting wheels 0 may be constructed and arranged in any suitable manner.

The seediughopper D is mounted at each end upon metallic supports E, securedto the side timbers of the frame, so as to be directly over the axle of .the wheels; and the fertilizing and timothy-hoppers F and G are secured to and arranged in the rear ofthe seeding-hopper. I

The seed-feeders H are arranged upon a shaft, I, beneath the seeding-hopper D, and are inclosed in separate and independent. cases or cups J, secured to the bottom of the hopper, there being one such seedfeeder to each drill-tube or tooth; and they are supplied from the hopper, through openings (1, in the usual manner.

The cups or cases J are cast in two parts and bolted together, and to the bottom of the hopper; they are of semicircular tbrm, and.-have a concave discharging-mouth or opening, K, at their rear side, from which a spout, L, extends into the mouth of a yielding fan or conducting-tube.

Eachseed-feederH is provided with bearing hubs b, at either end, which fit into corresponding open: ings in the sides of the cup, so that the ends of the feeder revolve against the inner sides of said, cup, as shown in figs. 5 and 7 They are cast in the form of two frustums or cones, united at their base, having upon their circumference, at suitable distances, ribs 0, arranged in the form ofthe letter V, and extending from the base of each frustum of a cone to the ends thereof, so as to form a skeleton cylinder with-the channels (I, gradually increasing in depth from the base line e of the cones to their ends, as shown in figs. 5, (i, and 7, and thereby diriding the feeder into two separate series of feeding-channels, either or any port-ion of which maybe used at pleasure, so as to hold quite a body of seed, but deliver it in a thin and even stream.

A 'The feeders are revolved with the deepest ends of their channels foremost in such proximity tothe sides of their inclosing cups as to receive and lift the grain, by the ribs 0, like a screw-tln'ead, drawing it from the ends to the middle of the feeder and discharging it ifuto the concave spout L.

A space is left between the bottom of theciip and the ribs of the feeder which increases to the discharging-mouth K, in order that the. grain will not be mashed and bruised. between the unyielding surfaces. To hold it as it is raised in this space, and prevent it from falling back, a series of ribs, f, parallel to the axis, are cast on the inside of the cup from the bot.

tom. to near the mouth, inclined on one side to allow the grain to pass readily over them, and constitute a series of steps to hold the grain as it is raised from the bottom by-the feeder, and insure its regular feed, whether going up or down bill, as shown in fig. 6.

The openings (0 in the hopper are lengthwisotherewith, and equal to. the width of the cups; and the regulating-slide M is fitted in' a recess on the under side of the hopper with openings g, corresponding to those in the hopper, audmay be adjusted to diminish the area of the supply openings a, according to the soil and the quality of the seed to be sown.

A graduating wing, M", depends from the slide into the cup in front of the feeder H, so as to conform both to the curve of the latter and the inclosing cup, and -terminate in a point nearly beneath said feeder so as to cut on" and expose more or less of the aim neled surface of the feeder, and thus regnlt i t pacit-y to the supply of grain.

of the channeled surface as is exposed to the supply opening.

The seed-fieeders are made with angular openings, and the shaft-I, upon which they are fitted, has a corresponding form, so that they must turn simultaneously, while the adjustment of the slide controls alike the adjustment of the wing of each seed-feeder.

The pan .or conductor N is hinged by a. vertical stem, 4, between two plates j, closedat their front sides It, and open at their rear to receive the stem, said plates j being secured to the under side of the hopper, so as to inclose the openings 1 therein, through which the fertilizer descends, and allow the pan or' conductor to swing forward from a vertical line to accommodate itself to the rising and forward movement of the drill-tubes, when thrown forward and upward to pass any obstruction, and thus protect the rubber. tubes which lead from the conductor-pans into the drill-teeth from being. creased or injured. a

The concave spout L of the seed-feeder fits into the pan or mouth on of the conductor, with sufficient room to allow the latter to swing forward, while it-is prevented from swinging back of a vertical line and separating such connection 'by two cars 12, on the inclosing plates, against which the back 0, hinged stem 5 rests, and closes the rear opening between the plates j, and as the mouth or pan N projects from the front side of the stem, it will act as a weight, andconstantly tend to keep the conductor in a vertical line.

The pan is suspended so as to leave'a space between its top and the bottom of the plates, and the. stem is made narrow at its connection with the pan so as to afford facility for seeing the flow of the seed and fertilizer, as shown in figs. 4, 6, and 8.

The openings lin the fertilizing hopper are made lengthwise across its bottom, which, in connection with the divided arms 11, arranged upon their shaft q, so as. to vibrate back and forth over these openings 1, in the direction of their length, not only tends to keep the latter free from beingclogged, but enables me to maintain a uniform opening between the feeding-arms, and thereby insure a more regular feed of the fertilizer, with less range of motion of the arms.

The timothy-hopper G has a perforated bottom, and is located in rear of the fertilizing-hopper'to sow timothy-seed between the drill furrows.

.The timothy-stirrerconsists of a horizontal bar, '1', secured by 'pivots s projecting from its upper side, so as to oscillate eccentrically in the body of 'thsced,'as shown in fig. 12. It is T-shaped in its cross-section, and the edge of the vertical part 1' maybe either toothed. or regular, and oscillates with a slow eccentric move ment, moving the grain horizontally,'while while the flat cap t moves it vertically, and acts as a strengthening-bar to the stirrer, as shown in figs. l and 12.

The mechanism for operatingthe fertilizingand timothy-stirrers consists ofa tribranched lever pivoted at a, near the middle of its length, to the end of the hopper, one branch, 'v, of which is locked by means of a slot, 1), to a crank, v, on the pivot s of the stirrer, and acontiguous branch, r", is locked by a notcheto a tooth,

, -on the end of the bar g, which carries the fertilizg-stirrers 1:, while the opposite end or branch 1:" fits eld in an eccentric groove, w, in the inner face wheel 0 on the end of the shaft of the seedhat each revolution of said wheel will vid with it communicates a'slow backbtion to the stirrers. This moveeseed-feeders is derived from a cogwheel, I, on the hub of the driving-wheel, which engages by an intermediate pinion,fQ, with the :firstnamed wheel. v

To disengage and stop the motion of the seed-feeders and stirrers when required," the intermediate pinion Q is mounted upont-he end of an arm, R, secured to the side of the-frame by a bolt passing through an inclined slot, R, in said arm, while its other end is connected to a .pin, '0 secured eccentrically to the axis y of the lifting-bar S, so as to be within the circumferene of said axis, as shown in figs. 2, 3, and 11; and in turning the lifting-lever S to raise the tubes T, the arm 11-, and the pinion Q, whichit carries will be drawn backward and upward from gear with the drivingwheel, as shown in fig. 3, but remain in gear with the, cog-wheel O, and when the drillstubes are down, the

against the back of the hopper or projections on the frame, so that the weight of theteethwill draw the supporting chain 2V in advance of the axis of said lifting-bar S, and thush'old it up by its position and the weight of the teeth-without other fastening, as shown in fig. 3.

, Tlre-drag-bars U are hinged to the front beam U, and connected by chains 2 to the lifting-bar S in the usual manner. They are formed of two bars hinged to the drill-tube, and united together near the middle of their length. At this point the end of a goosenecked check-lever V is secured between the bars by a strong bolt, 2, so as to turnthereon, and extending rearward is hinged to a check-link, W, which is also 'hingedto a check-ear or lug, 3, cast on the upper end of thetuheT above the hinge of the drag-bar, the

A gum-spring, X, having the form of a flattened frustum i's interposed between this check-leverVand a seat Y, hingedbetwecn the drag-bars by one end to the bolt 2, whichsecurcs the check-lever V and rests by the .other. upon said bars.

The hinged end of this spring-seat embraces the front hinged end of the check-lever, and thus serves to brace it laterallywith-the spring, which is held in place by a socket, Z, cast with the check-lever V, into which it fits, and held at its lower end upon its seat 1 between the drag-bars, for which'purpose its sides are flattened.

The seat Y will be held constantly upon the dragbars by the force of the spring.

The rear end of the check-lever V maintains a slight angle with the check-link W, and the latter is held in proper position by the checks above described, and thus holds the link Win the proper position to flex the joint of the check-lever V whenever the drilltube comes in contact with an obstruction, which offers undue resistance.

. The"supportingwheels are mounted upon short axles 6, secured to the under side of a. cross-timber, or axle-tree 7 of the frame, and to the side timbers thereof by screw-bolts.

The short axles have also cast with them bracing plates orsupports 8, whiclrfit against the under side of i the side beams A, and hold-the-axies'firmly against all tendency to twist from their bolts.

The tree-plates 9 of the axles are bent above a right line with the bearing 6 thereof, which give the advantage of using smaller driving-wheels, and the endsof these tree-plates form griping-points or seats I IOhetWe-en and to which the bracing-bar 11, which location of the surveyorat'the end of the hopper at .fords greater facility for its attachment, as well as for examining the face of the indicator and ascertaining the acreage sown. It may be of any suit-able construction for measuring andjndicatiug Iheland sown, and secured to the end of the hopper, so that its mechanism will be operated by the worm, as shown in fig. 11.

Having described my invention.

I claim 7 1. A cylindrical seed-feeder, with cavities or channels cl, in combination with the inclosing case or cup J and the fingered or wingedslide M for the purpose of regulating the quantities of grain to be sown, substantially'as herein described.

2. The cups or inclosing cases J of the seed-feeders H, constructed with stops or steps fnear their discharging-mouth K, for the purpose and in the manner herein shown and described.

3. In combination with a seed-feeder, constructed I with ribs 0 and channels (I, the inelosiug case or cup J,made with stops or steps j near its discharging month, as herein described.

4. The pan N, hinged by its stem .2, so-that thelatter forms the back of the conductor, in combination with the stops 11,1 0 limit the rearward movement of said pan, as described.

The cheek-lever V and the seat Y oft-he spring,

hinged together betweeu double drag-hats, as and for the purpcse described. 6. As animprove'ment on my former patent, the cocentri'c groove-in the-whee l O, in'comhination with the tri-branehed pivoted slotted lever w, for operating both the fertilizer and grass-seedstirrersfwith a slon and nnitbrm motion, as described;

7. the brace 11, when locked with the short axles 9,

fiir the purpose and in the manner herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

SAMUEDM. FIREY.

Witnesses:

F. H. UPPERMAN, A. E. H. Jonnsou. 

